Get There On Time

It rained all Friday night. I was exhausted from work. I collapsed into my bed, but set an alarm for 6AM.

There are two days a week I can sleep in. I ruined one of them. Why? Because I had to take this photo:

Taken around 7AM. You’ve got to get there early.

I love this photo, and I could never have gotten it unless I got up early and got my ass to the right spot. It was only really about 10 minutes of prep:

I looked up when the sun would rise – something like 6:42. I needed to get there a bit before that to set up.

The sun rises in the east, but I had to remember that it’s a bit further south in the winter.

I looked over maps of the area to see what the best east-by-southeast vantage point would be.

Since I’m familiar with the area, I quickly narrowed it down to the best couple spots.

And honestly, this is easy stuff compared to what some landscape photographers do. Here’s the important part: lighting changes 24/7. If you want an interesting photo of a landscape, you have to be in the right spot, and at the right time.

Warm clothes are absolutely part of the gear a landscape photographer needs. I’m no expert, but little things can make a big difference. Get there early for the sunrise or on time for the sunset – that’s normally the two most interesting lighting conditions. (Or, stay there for a while to see how it changes.)

So here are some basic landscape photography tips:

Have a plan. This includes where, when, and a backup spot.

Get there early and stay there late.

Timing is still everything. Just because it doesn’t move doesn’t mean your opportunities are fleeting.

Try to be there during sunrise or sunset – more often than not, that’s the most interesting lighting.

If you’re including the sky, I think the best amount of clouds is “some but not too many.”

More technical tips:

Shoot around f/8.0 to get a large depth of field and have everything in-focus.